Medicare Enrolled
Dr. James North, MD
Pain Medicine · Winston Salem, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating.
This page presents federal public records about Dr. North from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
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What this data tells you about Dr. North
Dr. James North is a pain medicine specialist in Winston Salem, NC, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. North performed 5,481 Medicare services across 2,270 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. North received a total of $868,470 from 50 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1256 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain medicine. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. North is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 20 years in practice
▲ Top 9% volume in NC
$868,470 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗5,481
Medicare services
Top 9% in NC for pain medicine
2,270
Unique beneficiaries
$85
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~274 Medicare services per year of practice
Top procedures by volume
Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.
| Procedure | Volume | Avg. paid | Avg. submitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
1,801 | $84 | $150 |
| Dexamethasone injection (steroid) An injection of dexamethasone sodium phosphate, a corticosteroid medication, administered in a dose of 1 milligram. |
865 | $0 | $10 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
522 | $1 | $10 |
| Drug screening test A laboratory test that uses a chemistry analyzer to detect the presence of drugs in a sample. |
500 | $59 | $150 |
| Definitive drug test using GC/MS or LC/MS A definitive drug test that identifies specific drugs and distinguishes between structural isomers using advanced methods like GC/MS or LC/MS. |
477 | $153 | $275 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
144 | $54 | $100 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
86 | $124 | $200 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
79 | $232 | $1,086 |
| Spinal drug pump reprogramming and refill A physician electronically adjusts the settings of a spinal drug infusion pump and refills its medication reservoir. |
74 | $58 | $600 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
69 | $185 | $1,349 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
67 | $95 | $821 |
| Anti-nausea injection (ondansetron/Zofran) | 65 | $0 | $5 |
| Compounded drug, not otherwise classified A medication prepared specifically for an individual patient by a pharmacist or physician, tailored to meet unique needs that cannot be fulfilled by commercially available products. |
64 | $100 | $162 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
59 | $248 | $1,464 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
58 | $46 | $219 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
56 | $151 | $1,314 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint A procedure to destroy nerves in a single lower or sacral spinal facet joint using imaging guidance to target pain signals. |
56 | $469 | $4,012 |
| Spinal neurostimulator generator insertion Surgical placement of a spinal neurostimulator generator or receiver device. |
44 | $158 | $2,000 |
| Additional sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into an additional sacral spine nerve root level, guided by imaging. |
37 | $107 | $596 |
| Destruction of peripheral nerve or branch | 30 | $210 | $1,030 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 30 | $153 | $265 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
28 | $54 | $98 |
| Peripheral nerve neurostimulator electrode insertion A procedure to place an electrode through the skin into a peripheral nerve. This electrode is part of a neurostimulator system used to deliver electrical impulses. |
24 | $182 | $2,000 |
| Spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion A procedure to place an electrode array into the spine through the skin. The electrode is used to deliver electrical stimulation to the nervous system. |
22 | $1,282 | $5,100 |
| Knee nerve block injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a nerve branch of the knee, performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
22 | $175 | $455 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the upper or middle spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
21 | $180 | $1,167 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement Use of real-time X-ray imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
21 | $77 | $325 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging An injection into a second spinal facet joint in the upper or middle spine, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement. |
20 | $98 | $825 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
20 | $129 | $195 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy the nerves supplying a single upper or middle spinal facet joint. It is performed to interrupt pain signals from that specific joint. |
19 | $409 | $3,263 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone. |
19 | $72 | $142 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional upper or middle spinal facet joint. |
18 | $240 | $1,500 |
| Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator with complex programming This procedure involves the electronic evaluation of an implanted neurostimulator generator. It includes complex programming of spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulators. |
17 | $42 | $300 |
| Spinal injection with imaging guidance A procedure where medication is injected into the middle or upper part of the spinal canal. Imaging technology is used to guide the needle to the correct location. |
16 | $190 | $850 |
| Destruction of nerve branches of knee using imaging guidance | 16 | $289 | $744 |
| Injection of anesthetic agent and/or steroid into other nerve or branch | 15 | $57 | $560 |
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$868,470
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $124,067/year across 7 years
Top 0% in NC for pain medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
50
Companies
1,256
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$652,409 (75.1%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$108,712 (12.5%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$107,350 (12.4%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$172,152
2023
$145,789
2022
$174,641
2021
$46,526
2020
$38,550
2019
$83,035
2018
$207,778
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$106,912
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$44,099
Spinal Simplicity, LLC
$17,326
EAGLE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$3,122
ABBVIE INC.
$243
PAINTEQ LLC
$161
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$86
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$51
Curonix LLC
$36
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$28
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$24
Medtronic, Inc.
$23
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$21
Lundbeck LLC
$20
Top 3 companies account for 97.8% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Boston Scientific Corporation
$367,087
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$251,042
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$99,669
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$97,957
Spinal Simplicity, LLC
$40,979
EAGLE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$3,622
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$1,824
ACACIA PHARMA INC
$1,022
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$899
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$604
ABBVIE INC.
$596
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$356
PAINTEQ LLC
$329
Vertiflex, Inc.
$283
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$220
PFIZER INC.
$198
Nuvectra Corporation
$150
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$142
Curonix LLC
$111
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$109
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$105
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$100
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$100
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$91
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$89
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$86
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$78
SI-BONE, Inc.
$73
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$64
Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc.
$53
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA
$48
US WorldMeds, LLC
$45
Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC
$42
MML US, Inc.
$33
Medtronic, Inc.
$23
Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$22
Lundbeck LLC
$20
Shionogi Inc
$18
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$18
Horizon Pharma plc
$18
AbbVie Inc.
$18
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$18
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$16
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$15
Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
$15
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$14
INSYS Therapeutics Inc
$13
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$12
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$12
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 82.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AJOVY · AVISTA · Algovita · BELBUCA · BOTOX · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · BYFAVO · Belbuca · CHANTIX · Cambia · EMBEDA · Evoke SCS · FIXATE · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · General - Pain Management · General - Therapies · Gralise · HA MINUTEMAN G3-R · Horizant · INFINION · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Infinion 16 · Intracept · Kloxxado · LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE · LIBERTY SI · LYRICA · Levorphanol · Levorphanol Tartrate · Lucemyra/Lofexidine · Morphabond ER · NO_PRODUCT · Nalocet · Nalu Neurostimulation System · ORTHOVISC · OXTELLAR XR · PAINTEQ · PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A · PRECISION · PRIALT · Precision · Prialt · QULIPTA · QUTENZA · Qutenza · RELISTOR · ReActiv8 · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER (REFURBISHED) · SPRINT PNS System · SUBSYS · SYMPROIC · SYNCHROMED · Spectra WaveWriter · Superion · Superion ISS · Superion Indirect Decompression System · Symproic · THERAPIES · UBRELVY · VYEPTI · WAVEWRITER ALPHA · Watchman · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · XTAMPZAER · Xtampza ER · ZIPSOR · ZOHYDRO ER · ZTLido · Zilretta · iFuse Implant · mild Device Kit
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →
The majority of payments (75%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in pain medicine and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for pain medicine in NC.
Geographic Context
Pain medicines within 10 mi
27
Per 100K population
7.0
County median income
$65,541
Nearest hospital
NOVANT HEALTH FORSYTH MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | Weekly updates |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | Monthly updates |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not public | N/A |
This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. North is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 9% in NC), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 0% of NC peers, with 20 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. North experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. North performed 1,801 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. North receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. North received a total of $868,470 from 50 companies across 1,256 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
How do Dr. North's costs compare to other pain medicines in Winston Salem?
Dr. North's average Medicare payment per service is $85. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. North) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.
This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. Data Coverage reflects data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.
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